As GM Authority previously reported, American Auto – a T.V. sitcom that aired on NBC – was renewed for a second season following a successful pilot season. Now, it appears as though the automotive-focused sitcom will not be receiving a third season.
NBC has decided to cancel American Auto after two seasons. This decision comes as the second season was less popular than the first, with an average of 1.95 million viewers and a 0.28 rating among adults ranging from 18-49 years old. For comparison’s sake, the first season averaged 2.17 million viewers and a 0.37 rating among the same demographic.
As a reminder, American Auto followed the story of the fictional Payne Motors, a struggling Detroit-based car company loosely inspired by GM, and its CEO Katherine Hastings. Justin Spitzer, the writer and executive producer of the hugely popular NBC comedy Superstore, served as the lead writer for American Auto, while Aaron Kaplan, known for his hit American Housewife series on ABC, was the executive producer.
The first season of American Auto was a hit among critics, and garnered 24 million people across all streaming platforms. The highest-rated episode in the ten-episode first season, titled ‘Commercial’, received a score of 8 stars out of ten. The synopsis for this episode says it follows Katherine and the team as they “re-shoot a commercial to make it more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community.” The Pilot was the lowest-rated episode in season one at 6.4 stars out of ten.
American Auto was produced by Universal Television in association with Justin Spitzer’s Spitzer Holding Company and Kapital Entertainment.
Notably, NBC is set to stay in business with Spitzer to produce several upcoming shows.
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Comments
It was entertaining. A funny clashes of a company trying to innovate while seemingly still unknowingly/unintendedly doing ‘old way’ things.
Second season just seemed to loose it’s appeal. Maybe trying too hard for Office Space vibes or just ran its course.
Just another way to make American auto companies look stupid and otherwise demean them. The companies that helped build the USA and protect so many other countries…
No great loss. The second season was a bust. They could have addressed a ton of issues, like COVID, chip shortages, EVs, but barely, if at all touched on them, preferring mushy story lines.
totally agreed – it was terrible.
I got an idea….let’s write a show that makes one of our largest ad buying groups look like dumb idiots. I’m so brilliant…… Budweiser gonna hire me next!
It was a very stupid sitcom! Just trying to make American automotive companies look uncompetitive and stupid!
I watched a few and thought it was just dumb
I never understood why everyone in the media thinks this show was “loosely based” on GM. Just because of the woman CEO? Really it seemed more in line with Ford than GM.
Show was woke. Watched the 1st episode and that was enough. Now it joins the ranks of Bud Lught and Target. Good riddance.
Writers were clueless. I never made it past the second episode. So much potential for a good automotive sitcom.
I watched the first two episodes. They seemed to get some details right about the auto industry, but overall it just didn’t appeal to me.
I think the biggest problem with “American Auto” was that unlike “Superstore” most people couldn’t relate to either the people or the industry itself. With “Superstore” a lot of us have worked at retail at some point in our lives and had worked with many of the characters reflected in the show. After the first episode of “American Auto” I never watched it again. The premise for “American Auto” should’ve been a serious/insightful comedy along the lines of “Dallas”, “ER”, and Northern Exposure” to name a few.
No great loss to the planet Earth.
I watched like the first two episodes, seemed stupid. Never went back.
Maybe the show should be repackaged as an Asian or Korean upstart company trying to be bigger than they are coming up with all strange and unbelievable ideas to put in autos. The humor of the logic etc should be good for a few seasons. The segment with self-driving should be a super funny one allowing the occupants to do leisure things that are so offbeat and hilarious. Offer bizarre EV/gas engine alternatives that will keep you laughing all the way.
That sounds a little like Gung Ho, both the movie and the TV series.
Forget it. That show was just NOT funny. You want funny? Watch “Ghosts”. Now that’s funny.
Never heard of it!